Fluoride concentration in dentine as a biomarker of fluoride intake in European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) – An electron-microprobe study Heiko Richter a , Uwe Kierdorf a , Alan Richards b , Frank Melcher c , Horst Kierdorf a, * a Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Marienburger Platz 22, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany b School of Dentistry, University of Aarhus, Vennelyst Boulevard, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark c Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany 1. Introduction In humans and other mammals it has been demonstrated that fluoride from ingested soluble compounds is rapidly and extensively absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. 1 Fluoride is removed from plasma by mineralised tissue uptake or urinary excretion, the latter being the major route for elimination of fluoride from the body. Fluoride uptake from plasma is especially effective in the case of forming miner- alised tissues, and approximately 99% of the fluoride retained in the body is present in mineralised tissues. 1,2 Intake of excess amounts of fluoride can induce acute, subacute or chronic fluoride poisoning. 1,3,4 A key manifesta- tion of chronic fluoride toxicity during dental development is dental fluorosis. 3–5 Dental fluorosis (also termed enamel fluorosis or mottled enamel) is a developmental abnormality a r c h i v e s o f o r a l b i o l o g y 5 6 ( 2 0 1 1 ) 7 8 5 – 7 9 2 a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Accepted 11 January 2011 Keywords: Bioindication Environmental pollution Fluoride profiles Teeth a b s t r a c t Objective: Fluoride concentration in dentine has been recommended as the best marker for the level of chronic fluoride intake and the most suitable indicator of an individual’s total body burden of fluoride. We analysed fluoride concentrations in the dentine of cheek teeth of European roe deer from fluoride-polluted habitats to retrospectively assess the level of fluoride uptake into the tissue. Thereby, we tested the hypothesis of the existence of mechanisms that limit fluoride intake of individuals and fluoride exposure of forming dental hard tissues during the late foetal and early postnatal periods in the species. Design: Using electron-microprobe analysis, fluoride profiles were obtained on sectioned P 4 s, M 1 s, and M 3 s from individuals exhibiting pronounced dental fluorosis. Fluoride con- centrations were compared between early formed (peripheral) and late-formed (juxtapul- pal) dentine both within single teeth and amongst the three different teeth studied. Results: Peripheral dentine of the M 1 , which is formed during the late foetal and early postnatal periods, exhibited markedly lower fluoride concentrations than juxtapulpal dentine of the same tooth and both, peripheral and juxtapulpal dentine of P 4 and M 3 that are formed post-weaning. Conclusions: Our study provides strong support for the hypothesis that in the European roe deer the prenatal and early postnatal (pre-weaning) stages of dental development are (largely) protected against exposure to excess fluoride. This is attributed to the operation of certain protective mechanisms during these periods. # 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 (0) 5121883913; fax: +49 (0) 5121883911. E-mail address: kierdorf@uni-hildesheim.de (H. Kierdorf). availab le at www .s cien c edir ect .co m journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/aob 0003–9969/$ – see front matter # 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2011.01.003